Masonry Block Grouting / Bowed Wall Repair
CEMENTITIOUS MASONRY BLOCK GROUTING RESISTS BOWING WALL FORCES AND PROVIDES MASONRY BLOCK WATERPROOFING BY ADDRESSING THE CAUSES NOT THE SYMPTOMS. GROUTING CAN RENDER A SLIGHTLY BOWED, STRUCTURALLY MARGINAL WALL INTO A UNIFORMLY SOLID CONCRETE WALL.
- MASONRY BLOCK WALL BOWING
- MASONRY FOUNDATION PROBLEMS
- STRENGTHEN MASONRY BLOCK WALL
- MASONRY BLOCK WATERPROOFING
The Problem...
Masonry block foundation walls bow and crack due to exterior lateral soil pressures. Winter freeze cycles, heavy rainfall, concrete driveways and stoops in close proximity to a foundation wall are all contributing factors. Masonry foundations have difficulty resisting these pressures over an extended period of time due to relatively low shear and tensile strengths compared to a concrete wall. Once cracking occurs, there is a loss of structural integrity. Shear and tensile strengths needed to resist lateral forces are greatly diminished. Once a wall is thus weakened, continued forces are likely to cause further damage.
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Exterior dead men, interior buttresses, and tie backs inhibit lateral forces in a limited area of contact. These procedures are often disruptive of property and activities.
Dead men require exterior trench excavation. If there are utilities, landscaping, or other structures within the work area, the job becomes difficult to perform. Interior buttresses require large open space without obstructions, and tie backs require property lines that are set back to allow work without inhibiting property line egress, or underground utilities, or tree roots.
Today carbon fiber strips are used to provide structural reinforcement. But a difficulty that remains is proper anchoring of the top and bottom masonry courses. The floor slab and upper floor joists anchor to these courses of block as well. Due to the subsequent minimal surface available on these blocks, painted surfaces, and numerous other wall obstructions, it is often very difficult to install the carbon fiber strips to the manufacturers recommended specifications, thus offering inferior results.
These various methods are alternatives to complete removal and replacement of the foundation wall with new masonry or poured concrete. Total replacement of the wall is the best solution. But there is another alternative.
The Alternative...
b by pumping a high-strength cementitious grout into the hollow cells. While filling the voids, hair-line cracks in the mortar joints are also filled. The process can render a slightly bowed, structurally marginal wall into a uniformly solid concrete wall able to resist further bowing and cracking as well as water intrusion. If the masonry block wall bowing is significant, some areas may require steel reinforcing.
The Process...
Small holes are drilled into the upper block course. When obstructions such as a porch obstruct access holes are drilled from the interior on an as needed basis. High-strength grout from a mix-on-site portable batch plant is then pumped into the cavities to render the wall solid. The equipment is small, portable, and usually located street-side.
Masonry Grouting Advantages
- The grout material can be pumped from two hundred feet away, therefore reducing any inconveniences immediate to the work area and landscaping.
- The process provides a one-two punch, in eliminating water infiltration.
- Masonry Block Grouting provides waterproofing and creates a solid, uniform wall
- Gives off no odorous intrusions or creates dust<./li>
- No disruption to household activities.
- No excavation.
- Lower costs than total replacement.
- Creates a solid, uniform concrete wall.
- Seals cracks, bonding all masonry blocks together